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Cotu wants pay increase on May 1
Central Organisation of Trade Unions secretary general Francis Atwoli during a media briefing on April 19,2011 where he said the union was in negotiations with the government to increase the minimum wage for workers. HEZRON NJOROGE
The workers' body has said it will call a countrywide strike if the government does not raise the minimum wage on May 1.
The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) secretary general Francis Atwoli said Tuesday it was giving the government ten days to respond to a proposal for increasing workers’ pay.
On April 7, Mr Atwoli presented Prime Minister Raila Odinga with an economic survey paper in a meeting that was attended by the ministers for Labour, Fisheries, Public Service and Agriculture.
The wage increment pitch proposes to have the minimum wage increased by 60 percent and the general wage increased by 10 percent.
However, he was quick to add that should they not receive feedback by Labour Day Cotu will call on all workers to go on strike.
“We do not want to jump the gun by taking action now as we know the Wages Council has supported and endorsed our proposal and would like to ask our members to remain calm,” Mr Atwoli said at the Cotu offices in Nairobi.
He reiterated that Cotu would not participate in Tuesday’s planned demonstration against the rising cost of living organised by the Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek).
He said: “As workers we do no demonstrate we just go on strike.”
While he recognised the effort taken by the government to reduce tax on kerosene and diesel to ease expenses for consumers, he said that they should consider subsidising or zero-rating the tax altogether.
Mr Atwoli said: “This did not make a big change because kerosene went up by Sh7 per litre and to reduce 30 per cent on tax, that is Sh2.16 which leaves Sh4.84 and is still high.”
Further, he said Kenya would have a hard time spurring economic growth when its people cannot afford the soaring prices of good and services.
He gave estimated figures for minimum wages for workers in the agricultural sector as Sh3,344 while that in Nairobi is slightly over Sh7,000, arguing that Kenya desperately needs a policy on wages and incomes that would protect and cushion expense for the low-end earners.
The call comes days after Cofek’s programme officer Stephen Njau took issue with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Federation of Kenya Employers for lobbying the government not to “substantially” increase minimum wages for workers.
